Coca-Cola Football Bottles Kick Off Soccer's World Cup

Coca-Cola is saluting the 2010 FIFA World Cup of soccer with cute, soccer ball shaped soft drink bottles - the perfect thing to kick back with while watching The Beautiful Game. The Atlanta, USA based multinational corporation has released round bottles before, usually for special holiday editions or as promotional tie-ins with the FIFA World Cup, and the 2010 edition set for release in Japan on May 17 continues that tradition.

The "dome shaped" bottles are made of PET plastic and are available in "refreshing and uplifting" regular Coke and "great taste, zero sugar Coke Zero varieties. Each bottle holds 13.5 fl.oz or 400ml and once empty are intended to be recycled, though many will undoubtedly save them as souvenirs as has been the pattern during previous World Cup tournaments.

The shape of the bottles is not perfectly round, as the central circumference is flattened to best display labeling info and a flat base is required to keep the bottle from tipping.

Even so, Coca-Cola Japan has provided the special bottles with vinyl labels that evoke the interlinked polygon pattern of soccer balls, reinforcing the football imagery while retaining Coke's signature brand identity.

Look for these special commemorative Coke bottles at the usual venues - Japanese convenience stores, mainly - and keep in mind they're a limited edition release. World Cup fans and soccer memorabilia collectors are sure to make acquiring them their GOOOOOOAL!!! (via Yahoo Japan, images via Popsop)

i just bought a couple here in Canada. except here, they are round not sort of round, except for the flattend out bottom and come in black and white like a regular soccer ball and red and black.
they are cool and yes! i am keeping the bottles as souvenirs, the coke being long gone. they are pretty cool!!